Join Us

Extension Master Gardeners — Part of Virginia Cooperative Extension

If you love gardening, want to learn more about it and want to share your skills and knowledge with others, why not become a Master Gardener? Join the Fairfax County Master Gardeners Association, Inc., a nonprofit organization of volunteers that provides community service by teaching others using science-based gardening information. We operate under the auspices of the Virginia Cooperative Extension office of Fairfax County.

Training Program

Whether you have many years of experience as a gardener or just a few, the Master Gardener training program will provide the necessary information and skills to serve as a volunteer with our organization. Through a basic understanding of botany, you will learn how to diagnose plant diseases and insect damage, share best practices for planting a vegetable or perennial garden, identify the right methods to prune a bush or plant a tree, maintain a healthy lawn, and much more.

New members receive 33 hours of training per year for three years. Instructors provide classes on a variety of subjects to support the horticultural information referenced in the Virginia Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Handbook. Members attend weekly classes offered Wednesday mornings or evenings for three months starting in Mid-January. All members are required to provide 24 hours of community service each year.

You must be a Fairfax County resident to join. If you live outside Fairfax County, contact your local Cooperative Extension office for information about the Master Gardener program in your county.

Sign-up Process

If you are interested in becoming a Fairfax County Master Gardener, please sign our waitlist to receive an invitation to our informational session offered in August. You may also send an email to Enrollment@FairfaxGardening.org for additional information.

  1. First, indicate your interest by signing up on the waitlist with your contact information.
  2. You will receive an invitation to our informational meeting in August.
  3. After the August meeting, we will begin an interview process with interested candidates to select interns for our 2025 training program.
Signup List
Virginia Cooperative Extension is a partnership of Virginia Tech, Virginia State University, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and local governments. Its programs and employment are open to all, regardless of age, color, disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, military status, or any other basis protected by law.